Renuka Chowdhary launches scheme to protect Girl Child in India

New Delhi, Mar 3 (ANI): In an effort to set right the country’s skewed gender ratio, Women and Child Development Minister Renuka Chowdhary today launched a ‘Conditional cash Transfer for Girl Child with Insurance Cover (CCT)’ scheme here. Unveiling the scheme, Chowdhary, said the scheme would encourage parents to educate the girl child and to help in changing their mindsets towards the girl. This will force them to look upon girls as an asset rather than a liability Families with a girl child will get a certain amount every year. The amount for each year is to be decided. When a girl child is born, the family will get money. If they give her proper vaccination on time, they will get a certain amount. When they enrol her in school, and as she continues her education, they will get more. The incentive will continue till she attains the age of 18,’ Chowdhary added. Despite laws banning tests to determine the sex of an unborn child, the killing of female foetuses is common in some regions in India. According to a United Nations survey conducted in 2007, an estimated 2,000 unborn girls are illegally aborted every day in India. This has led to skewed sex ratios in regions like Punjab, Haryana, Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh and New Delhi, where a census in 2001 showed there are less than 800 girls for every 1,000 boys. According to estimates by the Central Government, over the past 20 years, 10 million girls, have been killed either before or immediately after birth by their parents. (ANI)